Lost in the Dark
by MidniteDarkness
Summary: A Kingdom Hospital fic, or at least an attempt at one...
1. Fighting

He lay alone in the darkness of the hospital. The quiet interrupted by the racking coughs that exploded from his burning chest and lungs.  
  
Paul wanted to cry. Only days ago he'd been well enough to walk around, to eat, and to at least look healthy. But now, now he didn't have enough strength even to lift his head from his pillow.  
  
He could barely breath, his lungs refused to accept air, instead rebelling and shaking him forcefully as dry coughs once more broke the silence. He was terribly cold – cold and hot – shivering in the sweat that drenched his entire body.  
  
He'd been fighting the disease for months, nearly a whole year now, in and out of the hospital as the disease came and went in stages.  
  
It had been dormant for an entire month – the doctors had proclaimed him almost completely well – and then it came back, full force. For two days, Paul slipped in and out of consciousness.  
  
Strange and terrifying dreams haunted him in his sleep, but he was stubborn – and afraid to die. He wouldn't stop fighting.  
  
His chest burned with agony as coughs continued to overtake him. His entire body quivered as he shook with cold. He didn't want to die – he wasn't ready.  
  
Thoughts of letting go came unbidden to his mind. The pain was overwhelming. He wanted it to stop, but he didn't want to die. He held on.  
  
The coughing got worse, he could taste blood in his mouth as his body rattled with each upheaval. Then, for a moment, it stopped. Paul took a slow breath – slow and easy.  
  
And then, he heard it: a soft, steady ringing, like a small bell. He looked around. A tiny girl stood before him ringing a small hand chime. The sound had a haunting echo.  
  
When the girl realized she had been seen, the ringing stopped. Her dark, sunken eyes lit up for a moment in a sweet smile.  
  
"Come with me."  
  
Suddenly, Paul understood. He shook his head, no – he wasn't ready. He didn't want to die.  
  
Once more, the bell began to ring. It was deliberate, almost demanding. He could feel the coughing starting to rise in his chest. The girl looked up at him innocently.  
  
"Come with me Paul."  
  
The bell continued to ring insistently. He held on – he wasn't willing to give up after so much. Suddenly, his lungs tightened, he couldn't breathe at all.  
  
He tried to inhale, and a new burst of coughing exploded from his lungs. With the coughing came blood.  
  
Blood that filled his mouth and throat and spurted vehemently out as the coughing continued. He was dizzy, and everything was going cold – cold and numb.  
  
The blood from his lungs crept back into his throat, choking him, the coughing worsened. He couldn't breath. He was either suffocating, or drowning – but he wasn't sure which one.  
  
Consciousness was creeping from him. He struggled to stay awake, fought to live, but he was too weak.  
  
Darkness overtook him. The last thing he saw was the little girl. She was no longer smiling – instead she looked disappointed. She pointed a small finger and shook it at him accusingly.  
  
"You should have let go the first time, Paul! You shouldn't have fought – now you have to stay here. You shouldn't have fought." 


	2. Awakening

Disclaimer: I have no ownership whatsoever of any of these characters... no matter how much I wish I did.  
  
Suddenly, the boy's eyes snapped open. He looked around and shook his head, trying to free his mind of the dream.  
  
It was nearly sunset – he could feel the night coming on. He smiled to himself. Soon he would have free reign of Kingdom Hospital. After dark, he was able to wander wherever he pleased – so long as the girl stayed out of his way.  
  
No, not the girl, her pet. The monstrous creature that protected her was what he needed to avoid. Ansebeth – the only thing in the entire universe that could make the boy feel threatened.  
  
Ansebeth stalked the boy, hunted him, and considered him both a form of prey and a source of food. Too many times the giant animal had nearly caught him. The boy was determined not to let it happen again.  
  
Night set in and the boy began his nightly rounds, wandering the halls and corridors of the giant hospital. He knew every corner of it by heart.  
  
"I should." He thought "After so many years –"  
  
A noise ahead of him interrupted his thoughts. It was a bell. The soft ringing of a hand chime echoed hauntingly through the halls of Kingdom Hospital.  
  
The girl was claiming another life – he wouldn't think of missing it. 


	3. Confrontation

Disclaimer: What is the point of these things, other than to rub in my face that Paul never has been, and never can be mine? (King can keep Mary... but... sniffle Paul belongs to him too... grr!!!)  
  
H2O Angel: Nice to know people are appreciating this... I wasn't sure it was gonna go over well... Leen713: I feel the same way... Who cares about everyone else? (  
  
Now, without further ado... ________________________________________________________________________  
  
The boy passed quickly from one place to the next and was soon where he wanted to be. He was standing in a small room, occupied by a single bed where lay a small child – sleeping soundly.  
  
The little girl rang her bell softly, so as not to wake the child. She looked up as the boy entered the room. She watched him cautiously – careful not to take he eyes off of him for even a second.  
  
She was afraid of him. Good. He smiled at her – more of a smirk, mocking her distrust. His dark eyes glinted evilly as he spoke.  
  
"Hello Mary."  
  
His voice was low and smooth, "Taking another are you?"  
  
Mary stopped ringing her bell as the sleeping child's heart stopped beating. The machine near the bed began shrieking loudly – but neither of them paid it any attention.  
  
Mary stepped back apprehensively.  
  
"Stay away from me!"  
  
The boy took a step forward, then another, closing the space between them.  
  
"Where's your pet, Mary? Did the fleabag finally leave you alone?"  
  
Mary was close to tears as she answered.  
  
"Go away!"  
  
The boy laughed mirthlessly.  
  
"What're you gonna do Mary? Your pet isn't here to protect you this time."  
  
He sneered, baring his teeth like a wolf about to attack. Mary was backed up against the wall. The boy cleared the last few feet between them with a sudden movement, shoving Mary backwards and wrapping his fingers in a tight grip around her throat.  
  
Her breathing came in choked sobs and her eyes were wide with terror as he lifted her chin with his finger.  
  
"Scared Mary?"  
  
She didn't answer. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she whispered hoarsly.  
  
"Ansebeth!" The boy growled angrily. "Oh no you don't!"  
  
It was her fault he was like this, her fault he was here. He was going to make her pay – make her feel the pain that he had suffered.  
  
He shoved her chin even further up as he leaned in; preparing to sink has fangs deep into her throat. Just before he could bite down, though, Mary screamed at the top of her voice.  
  
"Ansebeth!"  
  
The boy looked up just in time to see the giant anteater running, full stride, towards him. It opened its mouth wide, displaying its hundreds of razor sharp teeth. 


	4. Beaten

Disclaimer: Once more, I must admit to not owning any of the characters... if only to keep the bloody lawyers from suing me.  
  
Thank you, to all my reviewers... I luv you guys! I do have an apology to make, it has been pointed out by several of you that I have been spelling the name of Mary's pet a little off... the correct spelling is Antibus according to most of you... so I'll be sure to spell it correctly from now on.  
  
There was no time to move. Antibus ran full force into the boy, knocking him to the floor and pinning him down with one of its huge forefeet.  
  
Antibus snarled menacingly, preparing to tear the boy into bite sized pieces when Mary stepped forward.  
  
"Antibus, wait."  
  
She set her hand firmly behind the creature's ears. The thing looked up at her longingly, like a puppy that had been denied its dinner. Mary shook her head.  
  
"Not yet Antibus, it's not time for that."  
  
The boy lay motionless on the floor, staring in shocked terror as the monster leaned down, growled fiercely, and back away. As soon as he was out of Antibus's reach, the boy sneered.  
  
"I'll get you for this."  
  
Mary shook her head. "It wasn't my fault what happened. You brought it on yourself. If you hadn't fought..."  
  
She sighed. The boy was glaring at her. He had managed to get up while she was talking. Slowly, he began walking towards her. He froze, however, when Antibus began snarling at him.  
  
"What was I supposed to do?" He sneered. "Just let go? Ever think that maybe I wasn't ready to die?"  
  
He took another step towards Mary; she looked up at him, not with fear – but with defiance. The boy ignored the defiant look in her eyes. He grabbed her by the collar of her dress.  
  
Antebus was growling loudly, but he waited for Mary to give him permission to move.  
  
"I'm gonna kill you!"  
  
Mary looked him in the eyes and sneered.  
  
"I never did anything to hurt you..." she paused and smiled darkly. "Paul."  
  
The name echoed in his mind – as if it should have meant something to him, but he couldn't be quite sure what. Suddenly, the memory hit him.  
  
Who he was, or had been before – that was what the name was. A familiar pain began rising in his chest. He felt dizzy.  
  
He let go of Mary's collar and stepped back shaking.  
  
"You little bitch!"  
  
She shrugged and moved away from him, putting her arm around Antibus's neck.  
  
"Your own fault."  
  
With that, both she and the monster disappeared. 


	5. Identity Issues

Disclaimer: I swear, this is the worst part of this entire story thing... I have to admit to everyone that Paul is not mine...  
  
Sage of Darkness: Thanks for the encouragement... die hard fans are hard to find. And perhaps one day, Antibus and Paul will not be quite so... evil to each other.  
  
Die-hard KH fan: The KH fan group is growing! I do believe there are more of us than we thought!  
  
The boy stood there, working hard to remain standing. The name she had used – his name – brought back the memories of pain and sickness that he had suffered years before.  
  
Before his death. The pain in his chest was growing and becoming more and more intense.  
  
"There's no way this can be happening." He thought. "It stopped after I died... it went away!"  
  
The disease had left years ago – after he had given up all hope of living – after he had at least accepted his fate. But now, with the memories of who he had been filling his mind, the pain had returned.  
  
Who he had been... Paul had died – never to return. There was no name for who – or what – he was now. The pain – the disease – had no place within this body – it belonged to someone else.  
  
He wasn't the boy who had died years ago – he wasn't Paul. Paul was gone – long gone, as was his disease. Slowly, the pain subsided.  
  
The boy breathed deeply, glad to be able to breathe at all. He suddenly became aware of a group of doctors gathered around the child in the bed behind him.  
  
The shrieking of the machine continued. One of the doctors shook his head sadly.  
  
"We lost him."  
  
The boy watched, slightly amused. Doctors considered themselves so brilliant. They gloated incessantly about their successes. But he knew the truth.  
  
Kingdom Hospital was full of hypocrites. There was nothing they – or anyone else – could do when Mary decided to ring her bell. 


	6. Alyssa

Disclaimer: I now have to publicly claim that none of these characters are mine ... even Paul. But I think I could take on Stephen King in a fist fight for rights to him.  
  
The boy wandered from room to room, passing silently. He examined the faces of all the patients. Most of them he knew, those he didn't, he would watch for a while. It was one of his ways of amusing himself.  
  
Tonight he needed something to get his mind off his encounter with Mary. He had gone through several rooms before he found a face he didn't recognize.  
  
It was a girl about his age; she was sleeping soundly – oblivious to his presence. He snickered – that wouldn't last for long.  
  
Quietly, he walked up to the nightstand, where a glass of water sat. With a quick swipe of his hand, he knocked the glass to the floor where it shattered with a loud crash.  
  
The girl sat up in bed, now wide awake, and looked in the direction of the sound. For a moment, her eyes darted around the room before finally stopping in his direction.  
  
Except, it wasn't just in his direction that she was staring, her focus was directly on him.  
  
But that was impossible: The only way mortals could see the boy was if he let them, which he never did. How could she possibly be seeing him?  
  
Then, she spoke. Her voice wavered a little bit – she was obviously shaken by waking up with someone in her room.  
  
"What are you doing in here?"  
  
For a moment, the boy stood there in shocked silence, but only for a moment. He decided to take advantage of her discomfort... perhaps it would help cure him of his foul mood.  
  
He sneered, tying to look fierce as he bared his fangs. The girl looked at him strangely. For a moment, the boy thought he saw a hint of fear in her eyes – but it passed quickly, turning instead to a look of curiosity.  
  
"What are you?" she asked.  
  
The boy glared at her angrily.  
  
"None of your business."  
  
The girl laughed softly.  
  
"What are you trying to do, scare me? It's not working."  
  
The boy stepped forward in an attempt to intimidate her. She watched him and shook her head.  
  
"I'm not afraid of you..."  
  
He was right next to her bed now; he put his hand under her chin and lifted her face. She had no idea what she was dealing with obviously.  
  
He snarled at her and leaned down until their faces were almost touching.  
  
"You should be."  
  
She looked him in the eye defiantly.  
  
"And why is that?"  
  
The boy tilted her head back farther, exposing her throat. Slowly, he leaned in and whispered in her ear.  
  
"Perhaps I should show you."  
  
With a sudden movement, he sunk his fangs into her throat – just deep enough to draw a small trickle of blood.  
  
Her heartbeat quickened... but she remained outwardly calm – as if it didn't bother her at all that his teeth buried in her neck.  
  
He pulled away, shocked. She laughed impertinently.  
  
"Done trying to scare me?"  
  
The boy was thoroughly annoyed. This girl had made a complete fool of him. He didn't answer. She looked at him for a moment, and then nodded understandingly.  
  
"Oh, I see. You're embarrassed now. You should have listened... I'm not afraid of you."  
  
"And why is that, pray tell?" he snarled.  
  
She shrugged. "You're just not scary. Besides, it's hard to be afraid of someone who tries to be intimidating." She smiled. "So do you have a name?"  
  
The boy looked at her, slightly confused. Every mortal that had seen him before had regarded him with fear. Now this... girl – whom he had bitten – was trying to be friendly.  
  
"All right," the girl continued awkwardly, "don't tell me. I'm Alyssa."  
  
She offered her hand to him. The boy just stared at it and didn't move. He wasn't sure if he trusted her yet.  
  
Alyssa yawned. "So are you just gonna stand there all night? If you are, I won't be able to stay up and talk to you. I've got to get some sleep."  
  
She laid back down and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders.  
  
"Good night, whoever you are."  
  
In a moment, she was asleep. The boy stood there entranced.  
  
"Good night... Alyssa." 


	7. Impressions

Disclaimer: I have yet to challenge King in a fistfight... but it'll happen soon. Until then, none of these characters are mine. *side note: although Alyssa is mine, she happens to be based on an idea that was given to me by my sister... so does that mean I have joint ownership?  
  
H2O Angel: glad to hear you're enjoying my story... I'm enjoying writing it. ( Michelle: Yay!!! Another Paul supporter! Glad to know of another KH fan! Flare Conlon: Yes, it is me... glad you like the story ( Auburn Red: As it so happens, Paul is getting a friend... although he insists he doesn't need one. Sage of Darkness: I hope so... course, who knows exactly how much therapy and brandy they'll need... Angel: glad you liked it...  
  
And now that that's all over... I can continue!  
  
Paul stood there for a while, watching Alyssa while she slept. He didn't know whether he should be angry, embarrassed, or... he didn't know what.  
  
She was definitely different – that was certain. No one had ever stood up to him like that. The only reaction she had displayed was a slight discomfort at having him just show up in her room.  
  
Before he knew it, the night was nearly over. With a final glance back at her, he disappeared – back to the shadows of the middle-world.  
  
Sorry it's so short... my muse has fallen asleep lately. (it's not my fault... I swear) I promise the next chapter will be at least a little longer! 


	8. Bad News?

Disclaimer: HE'S MINE I TELL YOU!!! HE'S MINE! AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT!!! Okay, so he's not mine... but I can pretend... that's what an imagination is for, right? RIGHT? Okay... good.  
  
Falagad: Thanks for reviewing... as it so happens, you're the only one this time.  
  
^^^ And to all the rest of my readers: thanks for reading even if you didn't review... hint hint okay... on with the story.  
  
The next morning, Alyssa woke up and looked around. There was no sign of last night's visitor. For a moment, she wondered if it had just been a dream, but when she looked down at the floor beside her bed, she saw the shattered remains of her water glass.  
  
It hadn't been a dream. She smiled to herself... perhaps he would come back again tonight.  
  
Just then, a nurse entered the room. She didn't even bother looking at Alyssa – instead getting right to work at changing IV s and recording information on her clipboard.  
  
Alyssa smiled sweetly. "Good morning."  
  
The nurse turned, as if noticing her patient for the first time.  
  
"Oh, good morning. You must be..." She looked at her clipboard. "Alyssa?"  
  
Alyssa nodded. The nurse continued.  
  
"So you're here for surgery? What kind of problems have you been having?"  
  
Alyssa sighed... she never liked explaining her problems to people... they always got so sympathetic – but it was only a mask that they put on to make themselves feel better.  
  
"They found a tumor at the base of my skull... they're supposed to do a surgery to remove it."  
  
The nurse looked at her sympathetically and shook her head.  
  
"Then you'll be having Dr. Stegman operating on you most likely."  
  
"Is that a bad thing?"  
  
The nurse shuffled and glanced about uncomfortably... obviously looking for a way to avoid the question. Just then, she noticed the broken glass on the floor.  
  
"When did this happen?"  
  
Alyssa thought about it for a moment, then shrugged and replied sheepishly.  
  
"I must have knocked it over in my sleep." She lied. "I move around a lot."  
  
The nurse nodded and walked off to find a broom, muttering something under her breath. Alyssa watched her go, preparing herself for a long day. 


	9. Stegman shudder

Disclaimer: It's official... I'm unofficially claiming Paul as my own... I'll admit, I didn't come up with him, but he's mine! King can keep all the rest of em!  
  
Falagad: Sorry for the lack of action... it may come back eventually, but for now... sit tight. Flare: I apologize, but Steg just so happens to be a part of Kingdom Hospital staff... as much as we'd all like to see him forced into retirement... or an institution. H20 Angel: I don't know about genius... but if you say so... I'M A GENIUS!!! The Blood Ringed Moon: Yah... I know what you mean... I must admit, I was rather disappointed as well.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Alyssa's solitude was short lived. Within minutes of the nurse's departure, the head neurosurgeon stepped in.  
  
He paid no attention whatsoever to the girl, instead he skimmed over the clipboard momentarily before muttering to himself and adding a few notes of his own.  
  
Alyssa, rather put out by being ignored, cleared her throat loudly.  
  
"Excuse me, Doctor...?"  
  
She paused, waiting for him to respond. He looked up – obviously startled to see his patient looking him in the eye questioningly.  
  
He put on a friendly – but fake – smile and extended his hand.  
  
"Stegman, Dr. Stegman."  
  
Alyssa nodded in reply.  
  
"So you're the doctor who'll be operating on me?"  
  
Stegman was busy with the clipboard again.  
  
"Hmn? Oh, yes – we'll be operating first thing tomarrow."  
  
"And this will get rid of my tumor, right?"  
  
She looked at Steg inquisitively, but he didn't notice. Alyssa realized she wasn't going to get anymore information from the doctor – she settled back down in her bed and remained quiet, waiting for the blonde doctor to leave. 


	10. Staying

Disclaimer: No, I don't own these characters. No, I don't own Paul (fingers crossed). No, I don't own Steg, Hook, Mary, Antibus, or any other recognizable SK character. BUT THAT DOESN'T KEEP ME FROM TRYING!!! H2O Angel: I'm still trying to figure out how I'm doing this... at the moment, blame George... Flare Conlon: Well, I hate to do this to you, but Steg is an important part of this story... as much as we'd all like to hang him by his toenails and rip out his intestines to be eaten by toothy mouthed anteaters... Die-Hard KH Fan: You can have Steg... that is if we don't kill him first... The Blood Ringed Moon: Congratulations! It's nice to see another Paul fic! Sage of Darkness: Early retirement for Steg... yes. Premature retirement ( MyDeadDreamer: Good news! You're not stranded! As a matter of fact... here's the next chapter! *********************************************************************  
  
That night, Paul visited Alyssa again. She talked for hours about anything and everything.  
  
The boy just sat there, listening intently – though he heard very little about what was said – his concentration was focused on the speaker more than the speech. She intrigued him.  
  
Even after Alyssa had fallen asleep, the boy sat there, watching. He was still there when a nurse came in early the next morning to get Alyssa ready for surgery.  
  
When the nurse left, Alyssa looked curiously at the boy who remained seated next to her bed.  
  
"You're still here?"  
  
He smirked and laughed softly.  
  
"No, I'm just a hallucination."  
  
She laughed nervously. The boy noticed she looked extremely pale.  
  
"What's wrong? You look awful."  
  
Alyssa smiled slightly. "Well, thanks a lot!" She shrugged. "I'm just a little nervous I guess."  
  
The boy nodded. "I understand."  
  
Alyssa gave him a pleading look then.  
  
"Please, stay with me until they're ready to operate. I don't want to be alone."  
  
Paul looked at the fright in her eyes and nodded. He wasn't going to leave her if she wanted him to stay.  
  
When another nurse came to cart Alyssa into the operating room, the boy followed silently.  
  
********************************************************************** And that's all I've got for now... sorry, It's a short one, I know. But I promise more WILL come. Until then, review so I know people are still reading! 


	11. Preparation

Yes ladies and gentlemen! I HAVE RETURNED!!! I'm sorry it took so bloody long to get this next chapter up, but my com got a virus and my internet simply refuses to work... so I'm typing this at school and I hope my internet starts working soon so I can finish this rotten story. boredgirl92: Wish I could give you more action... but it's not coming in this chapter... SORRY! I'm glad you like it. .

Sage of Darkness: Well, here it is: AN UPDATE! even though you already have an idea as to what's going on... hope this isn't too much of a disappointment.

The Blood Ringed Moon: I'm not sure that Paul could ever be described as nice 0.o... hott, yes. Nice, no... it just doesn't fit.

oi-oi-oi: Whoohoo! Yes, one day, KH fans will rule the entire planet... and beyond! HAHA (albeit it will very likely be when we're all dead and are spirits that are roaming the earth making the rest of earth's mortal inhabitants miserable... insert evil laugh here.

Invader Kit: Congratulations! I do believe that, aside from my friends, you have reviewed the most. YAY! I'm glad you like it... keep reading!

Annie Wilkes1: Still reading? GOOD! Although your review does lead me to think that you've been reading WITHOUT REVIEWING! o well... the fact that I have readers that I'm not aware of allows me to think I'm very very special. (my friends won't disagree with that statement) Okay... no more chatter... ON WITH THE STORY!   
  
About half an hour after she'd been brought into the operating room, Alyssa was left to wait for Stegman to arrive and begin the procedure. Paul stood off to the side, observing and acting as a listener.  
  
Alyssa glanced nervously around the white-walled room. It was brightly lit and full of surgical equipment. She felt like a lost child - she was totally alienated from anything familiar.  
  
Paul saw the discomfort and stepped forward, taking Alyssa's hand reassuringly. She jumped at his touch, then blushed as she realized who it was.  
  
"Sorry - I'm a little edgy I guess."  
  
The edge of Paul's mouth turned up in a slight smile.  
  
"It's okay - I know the feeling."  
  
Just then, the sound of a man's voice came through the closed door.  
  
"What do you mean Steg just got here? He's got a surgery scheduled for  
half an hour ago!"  
  
The door opened and a younger doctor stepped in. His eyes darted around the room before coming to rest on the girl in bed.  
  
"Good morning." He smiled distractedly. "I'm Dr. Hook. Doctor Stegman  
will be here in a few minutes to begin the operation."  
  
His tone was stressed and he spoke hurriedly as he motioned in a group of nurses and attendants and gave orders to begin preparing for Alyssa's surgery.  
  
Alyssa glanced from one masked face to another, then turned to Hook.  
  
"Excuse me..."  
  
Hook saw the nervous look on the girl's face and put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry - You'll be fine. Now just relax."  
  
With that, one of the nurses injected some sort of sedative into Alyssa's arm. Alyssa turned and saw Paul out of the corner of her eye. He waved and then turned and walked out through the wall.  
  
Then Alyssa's world went dark.


End file.
